Seeing me happy was the most important thing to her in both lifetimes.In the previous life, she chose to die alone because she thought I had found happiness.In this life, she tried to do the same by sacrificing herself for what she believed was my happiness.I collapsed onto her bed as all my strength drained from my body. I was a little angry, but my heart ached for her even more. “Silly girl…” I muttered under my breath.I fell asleep in Yvonne’s room.By the time I woke up, the sky had begun to darken.Just as I was about to go to the hospital, Natalie appeared at the door and blocked my path.“You can’t marry Yvonne!”I stared at her in indifference and said, “Why not?”“Because you’re my husband! In our past life, you married me! We had a happy marriage! We loved each other. We were the perfect couple that everyone in the city envied!”In a desperate bid, Natalie revealed her secret. She had been reborn, too.However, I found her words utterly ridiculous.“We were
“You think you’re special? The only reason I bothered with you was because you’re young! You’re not even half the man Cole is!”I could not help but scoff at that.She only turned to me when she had nothing left.Once she had power and status, all she cared about was having fun with young hotties.I had never met someone so revolting.“You have no real power. The best the Franklin family can do is throw you some shares, so you can sail through life in comfort. How could you ever compare to Cole?”Matthew’s face went pale in an instant. He was only a year younger than me.Maybe it was because I, as the older brother, had always carried the weight of the family’s expectations, and it made me look older. Our parents had never asked much of him. They just spoiled him and let him live the easy life of a carefree rich kid.Since he was my only brother, I always gave in to his whims. I never imagined that all that indulgence would twist him like this.“Natalie, don’t do this to
I pulled out my phone and showed her the photos of Natalie and Matthew together.“I loved her once, with everything I had. But since she isn’t worth it, I got over her. I moved on. Yvonne, you might not believe this, but I lived an entire lifetime in a dream. In that life, we both died alone from illness. When I woke up, I had only one wish. I want us both to live. Together!”My hands trembled slightly as I took hers in mine.She stared at me as if struggling to believe it.“You really want to marry me?”I pulled out the ring I had prepared and gently slid it onto her ring finger.“Yes! We may have come from different paths, but we were always meant to end up together. So, please promise me you’ll go through with the surgery tomorrow. Don’t give up on your life, okay?”Yvonne gripped my hand tightly.Her palm was warm and damp with sweat.I watched her cry as she finally said, “Okay. Neither of us will die alone.”I nodded in relief.Since the surgery was the next day, she w
“Cole, I admit that I do like Natalie, but the one she loves has always been you!”His tone was firm, as if he were telling the truth.I was a little surprised.Given his usual way of doing things, I expected him to start trembling, then proudly admit it all with a grin.I did not think he would keep his composure this time.Beside him, Natalie looked at me with a fake look of affection. “Cole, you see, even Matthew knows I’ve always loved you! Please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay? I’ll take good care of you once we’re engaged.”Watching her put on that act, I felt nothing but disgust.Before I could say anything, Yvonne stepped in front of me.“Natalie, I’ve told you, Cole is your brother-in-law now. This is our engagement party. Stop creating a scene!”Natalie’s eyes blazed in fury as she glared at Yvonne.“You sick trash, is this really the time for you to draw attention to yourself? Cole is only doing this because you’re dying! He’s just giving you a nice, happy memory
I insisted on doing everything I could myself.Yvonne was not in good health. Seeing that I was completely swamped with the preparation, she always looked at me with concern.“We hired a planner for all this! You don’t have to wear yourself out like this,” she said softly.It reminded me of the last time I saw her in my previous life.At that time, I was lost in the illusion of happiness Natalie had given me.During a family dinner, Yvonne returned to the Shaw family’s house.She sat quietly in a corner and watched Natalie and me being lovey-dovey with each other.She did not look away the entire time.At the time, I found it odd, even somewhat rude.Who would stare at her sister’s husband in that way?After that night, I never saw her again.I heard she rejected the surgery and passed away alone in a hospice one night.The letter she left behind was filled with wishes for my happiness.I did not understand it then. I assumed she just wanted her sister and brother-in-law t
Natalie froze on the spot.Her eyes widened in disbelief. She snapped, “What do you mean he’s marrying Yvonne? What are you talking about?”The other Shaw sisters, who had just arrived, looked equally confused.“What’s going on?”“Why did Dad say Cole was marrying Yvonne?”“There must be some mistake. Cole has been in love with Natalie since forever. Why would he be getting engaged to Yvonne?”When no one answered, Natalie turned to look at the parents of both families.“Dad, Mom, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin, say something!”At that point, she crossed the line and spoke rudely.Frank said in a tone of barely restrained anger, “Natalie, your mother and I may be getting old, but we’re not senile. Do you think we’d get something this important wrong?”My parents nodded. Their faces were cold and firm.“Cole chose Yvonne as his fiancee at his birthday party.”Natalie’s hands, hanging at her sides, suddenly trembled. Without realizing it, she clenched them into fists.She was clearly